Have HART, Share the Road!

As Florida Bike Month comes to an end, we wanted to give awareness for the often overlooked neighbors on the road - pedestrians and cyclists.

2010 was a rough year for pedestrians in the Tampa Bay area.  2011 hasn't started much better.

In 2010, 492 pedestrians were killed statewide with 78 deaths in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough locally, making Florida no. 1 per capita in the United States for pedestrian deaths.  In 2008, 17.4% of fatal bike accidents reported nationwide, occurred in the state of Florida. Recently, the Top 10 list of most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians included four Florida metro areas.

Interior cards like this one were placed on all HART buses

Operating over 190 buses in Hillsborough County and logging almost 9 million miles a year on Hillsborough County roads, HART has a big interest in pedestrian/cyclist safety.  Last year, Alan Snel, a local cycling advocate, approached HART about educating HART Operators and the general public about Florida state law known as "3 Feet to Pass," which requires motor vehicle operators to give cyclists 3-feet when passing.  Last year in April, HART launched the educational campaign on all HART buses, goHART.org, and social media outlets.  Interior cards like the one shown above were placed inside all HART buses, and buses were also wrapped with similar graphics. 

Walkwise Tampa Bay is another pedestrian/cyclist safety initiative looking to educate the citizens of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas' Counties.  The educational campaign has partnered with beach towns in Pinellas County and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to promote Pedestrian safety by introducing a new Pedestrian Flag program.

The program uses retro-reflective flags and vests on each end of a crosswalk to gain the attention of oncoming drivers.  Pedestrians carry the flag across the crosswalk.

According to FDOT, a pedestrian is injured every seven hours in Florida, with one killed every five days.  By law, bicycles are considered vehicles and cyclists are given the same rights as car drivers.  So the next time you pass a cyclist or another car on the road, please treat them equally, and give 3 feet!

Click here to view a video on the 8 weeks of training that HART Bus Operators go through before they are allowed to transport passengers.

For more information on Walkwise Tampa Bay, please visit www.walkwisetampabay.com.

HART has March Madness!

The most exciting time in college basketball is here! March Madness begins today at the St. Pete Times Forum. HART would like to offer a big welcome to all the athletes, students and fans that are in town for Round 1 of the tournament. Tampa has a number of attractions and things to do while in town.

Use HART to get to the following Tampa attractions and avoid the parking hassles:

• Adventure Island - Route 5
• Busch Gardens - Routes 5, 18, 39
• Florida Aquarium - Route 8 and the TECO Line Streetcar
• Glazer's Children Museum - Routes 7, 10, In-Town Trolley Green Line
• International Plaza - 15, 30, 59LX
  
• Lowry Park Zoo - Routes 41, 45
• Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) - Route 6
• St. Pete Times Forum - Route 8, In-Town Trolley Green and Purple Line, TECO Line Streetcar
• David A. Straz Jr. Center - In-Town Trolley Green Line, TECO Line Streetcar
• Tampa Convention Center - Route 4, In-Town Trolley Green Line and Purple Line, TECO Line Streetcar
• Tampa Museum of Art - Routes 7, 10, In-Town Trolley Green Line
• University of South Florida - Routes 5, 6, 18, 57
• Westshore Plaza - Routes 5, 30, 45, 89

Flying out? HART also has improved service to Tampa International Airport by providing more frequency, seven days a week. Route 30 runs between downtown and the airport every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on weekends.

A 3-day Visitor Unlimited HARTride card is your best bet at only $11.00 and valid on all HART local buses, In-Town Trolley and the TECO Line Streetcar System.

Things to know about the In-Town Trolley and TECO Line Streetcar System:

• 

  In-Town Rubber-wheeled Trolley: The Purple Line makes stops at popular locations in downtown Tampa weekdays, 6 - 9 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. The Green Line makes stops at popular locations and parking garages in downtown Tampa on Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. - 2 a.m. Both lines operate on a 15-minute frequency and stop at the St. Pete Times Forum.

• TECO Line Streetcar Line: The streetcar line runs on rails that connects Ybor City, Channelside and Downtown Tampa, which includes a stop at the St. Pete Times Forum. It operates 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Thursday, and 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Streetcar Operators do not provide change.

It's easy to plan your own trip! Visit www.goHART.org to use the Google Trip Planner feature or call 813-254-HART (4278).

For a map of downtown Tampa's network of public transportation service, including streetcar stops, In-Town Trolley service and HART bus routes, go to: www.gohart.org/routes/trolley/trolley_systemmap.pdf

Have a great time taking in the madness of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and while you're here, enjoy all that Tampa has to offer!

HART Supports American Red Cross Month

You'll see signs like this one onboard buses and at
HART transit centers during the month.

When there's an emergency, the familiar Red Cross logo is a welcome sight. It means there will be food, water, clothing and more. It means comfort. It means caring.

The Red Cross means help has arrived.

March is American Red Cross Month, and HART is proud to lend its support to the organization's outstanding work throughout the month.
Emergency Services Part of HART's Mission
Teaming up with the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross is a perfect fit for HART. With hurricane season just three months away, we'll all soon be thinking about storm safety, and HART's Emergency Evacuation Service is an important part of Hillsborough County's preparation.

The 10 routes that make up HART's evacuation program are designed to transport people who have no other means of escape from flood zones to county emergency shelters. There is never a charge for this emergency service, which is part of HART's commitment to our community.

Janet McGuire from the American Red Cross and HART's
Rickey Kendall stopped by the Fox 13 studios.

To increase awareness of the American Red Cross during the month of March, HART will display a "HART Supports American Red Cross Month" message at transit centers and onboard buses. The emergency response message will also hit your TV this month, with a series of on-air announcements on Fox 13 featuring HART's Risk & Environmental Safety Director Rickey Kendall and the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter Regional Communications Officer Janet McGuire.

Plus, there will be lots of information available on HART's website, http://www.gohart.org/.

HART salutes the American Red Cross for all it does to make Tampa Bay a safer place for everyone.

For more on the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter, click here.

To learn more about HART's Emergency Evacuation Service, click here.

Free Rides Return on Election Day

Show your voter's registration card at boarding
and ride HART local routes free March 1.

Tomorrow is a big day in the City of Tampa. For the first time in eight years, a new face is about to take up residence in the mayor's office at City Hall.

HART is ready to help you exercise your right to vote in this important election. When you board any HART local route on Election Day, Tuesday, March 1, just show your voter's registration card to ride for free. That's it!

If you need to find your polling place, you can enter your information in the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website. Just remember, tomorrow's election is for City of Tampa races only. You must be a registered voter within the city limits to vote.

Still looking for information on the candidates? Here are some resources from the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune that can help you wade through all of the issues:

St. Petersburg Times Election Coverage on tampabay.com

Tampa Tribune's Coverage at TBO.com Politics

So now you can read up on the candidates one last time, make sure you know where your polling place is, and count on HART to get you there.

Just goes to show, we're "Driven to Serve You" on Election Day - and every day!

Top 15 Smart Transportation Cities

Transit can help make Tampa's future bright.

What does it take to be a "smart transportation city"?

A study by the National Resources Defense Council and the Center for Neighborhood Technology released this week has the answer.

Things like walkability, access to transit for a majority of residents, and innovative ways to incorporate alternatives to driving are all important factors.

The Tampa Bay area isn't on the list this year, but it's interesting to look at the criteria and see what lessons can be learned from it.

Broken down into large, medium and small regions, the 15 smart transportation cities are Boston; Chicago; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; New York; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Boulder-Longmont, Colo.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Jersey City, N.J.; New Haven, Conn.; Champaign-Urbana, Ill.; Bremerton, Wash.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Yolo, Calif.

The president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Scott Bernstein, stresses what he calls "'location efficient' places — with essential services that are nearby or accessible by many transportation modes" as an important element of smart transportation cities.

"Cities and regions that foster compact, walkable, transit-rich communities can reduce reliance on automobiles and help lower at least one expense for households struggling to get by in the current economy," Bernstein notes in the study's introduction.

In particular, an area like Portland, one of the large-market regions on the list, is known for the success of its neighborhoods that feature transit-oriented development.

Smaller cities that made the list came up with innovations like a $7.50 monthly pass in Lincoln, and dedicated pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians in Boulder.

Here in Hillsborough County, we've been working on innovative solutions to our own transportation issues. One successful system we've recently launched is the HART Flex neighborhood service, which offers more personalized transit service for passengers within a number of local zones. HART Flex allows our customers to travel where they want, when they want, and improves operational efficiency for HART so we can make the best use of our resources.

HART is also proposing three new HART Flex zones that would begin operation in July: Town N' Country Flex, Northdale Flex and South Tampa Flex. Click here to see the proposed July service changes.

In addition, we've started work on the area's first bus rapid transit system, MetroRapid. With limited stops, advanced technology and enhanced passenger stations, the first two MetroRapid lines will usher in a new, faster way to get around Hillsborough County.

Will Tampa Bay be a "smart transportation city" next year? We'll see. In the meantime, HART is working to make your transit service the best it can be.

Click here for details on HART Flex service.

To learn more about HART's MetroRapid, click here.

For more information on the study, check out Metro Magazine's coverage, including a link to the study itself, here.

Be a Part of the Future of HART

You can offer comments at an upcoming
HART public meeting.

With record ridership numbers still coming in , Hillsborough County residents have shown that public transportation is an important asset in our community.

But there's always room for improvement, and we need your help to make HART service even better. HART is proposing a number of changes that will streamline service, making our operations more efficient. As always, before we implement any changes, we need to hear from you. We're holding a series of open-house style public meetings starting next Tuesday to gather your comments on the proposals. There will also be one public hearing on March 17th.

Please join us at any of the following locations for more information and to offer your input:

Open house meetings
Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Brandon Chamber of Commerce
330 Pauls Drive #100, Brandon, 33511

Thursday, March 3, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Kate Jackson Community Center
821 S. Rome Avenue, Tampa, 33606

Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Temple Terrace Public Library
202 Bullard Parkway, Temple Terrace, 33617

Thursday, March 10, 2011, 4:30 p.m.
HART West Tampa Transfer Center
4201 N. Himes Avenue, Tampa 33607

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Town N’ Country Regional Public Library
7606 Paula Drive, Suite 120, Tampa, 33615

Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
SouthShore Regional Library
15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin, 33573

Public hearing
Thursday, March 17, 2011, 4 to 6 p.m.
TECO Plaza, TECO Hall North Conference Room
702 N. Franklin Street, Tampa, 33602, downtown Tampa

Proposals Shorten Routes, Improve Frequency, Consolidate Service
Some of the changes will improve travel time on certain routes. For example, one of the longest routes in HART's system, the South Hillsborough County to downtown path traveled by Route 31, would be shortened to improve frequency from the current two hours to one hour. In addition, Route 30 between downtown and Town N' Country via the Tampa International Airport will be divided into two new routes for increased efficiency.

In some cases, we're proposing to replace a low-ridership circulator route with the popular new HART Flex service, a neigborhood-based option that offers more personalized service.

We believe changes like these, and the rest of the proposals outlined below, will help us provide better service for all of our customers.

Keep reading for short descriptions of all proposed changes, and click here for maps and more from HART's website.

South County

• Replace Route 87 (Southshore Connector) with expanded community Flex service providing timed connections to Routes 31 and 53LX (proposed route).
• Replace Route 35LX (Brandon/Southshore Limited Express) with Route 53LX (South County/Brandon via US 301) providing expanded service between South County and the Westfield Brandon Mall via US 301
• Discontinue Westfield Brandon mall to downtown Tampa service on Route 31 (South Hillsborough), improving frequency from 2 hours to 1 hour between South County and the Westfield Brandon mall. Passengers who wish to continue travel to downtown can connect to Routes 8 and 46 at the mall.

Brandon Area

• Begin new Route 26X (North Brandon/MacDill AFB Express) to provide express service between North Brandon and MacDill AFB. This route will replace one morning and one afternoon trip on Route 24X, and one morning and one afternoon trip on Route 25LX.
• Reduce Routes 24X (FishHawk/Riverview/MacDill AFB Express) and 25LX (South Brandon/MacDill AFB Limited Express) by one trip each in the AM and PM; these trips will be added to the new Route 26X.
• Reduce Route 46 (West Brandon/Davis Islands) to rush hour service only

Temple Terrace

• Replace Route 23X (Temple Terrace Express) with limited stop trips on Route 6 (56th St.)

Northwest County

• To improve schedule reliability, split Route 30 (Town ‘N Country) into two routes: Route 29 (Downtown to Tampa International Airport via Kennedy Boulevard) and new Route 30 (Town ‘N Country to Tampa International Airport)
• Replace Route 59LX (Westchase/Town ‘N Country Limited Express) with new Route 61X (Town ‘N Country/Westshore/Downtown Tampa)
• Replace Route 88 (Town ‘N Country Connector) with Town ‘N Country Flex. Route to run 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. versus rush hour only for Route 88
• To improve schedule reliability, Route 16 will operate on Waters Ave. between Hanley Road and Northwest Transfer Center. Service will be provided by Town ‘N Country Flex

Carrollwood Area

• Extend Route 20X to Land O’ Lakes in Pasco County
• To improve schedule reliability, split Route 36 (Dale Mabry Highway/Himes Avenue) into two routes: Route 36 (N. Dale Mabry Highway/Himes Avenue) and Route 38 (S. Dale Mabry Highway/MacDill AFB). Route to be split at West Tampa Transfer Center
• Begin new Northdale Flex to serve Dale Mabry Highway corridor between Fletcher Avenue and St. Joseph's Hospital North
• Mission Bell to be north terminus for Route 36, west terminus for Route 33 (Fletcher Ave.) and south terminus for Northdale Flex

South Tampa

• Replace Route 89 (South Tampa Connector) with new South Tampa Flex

Be sure to stop by one of the meetings listed above and let us know what you think! We'll consider every comment; final recommendations will be on the agenda of the HART Board of Directors at their April 4, 2011 meeting, for implementation in July 2011.

Transit in the News

We've got all the latest transit news for you!

There have been quite a few developments on the state and local transit scene lately. Here's a round-up of what people are talking about right now.

Governor Nixes High-Speed Rail
Florida's newly minted chief executive, Gov. Rick Scott, announced today that the state would not accept the federal government's funding for a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando. Read some of the coverage below.

Tampa Bay Business Journal (heads up - may require subscription)
Gov. Rick Scott turns down high-speed rail funding
You can also answer the Journal's survey question on the governor's decision here.

TBO.com
Tampa leaders: Scott's rejection hurts area's recovery
Dems, Republicans criticize Scott for rejecting rail money

Tampabay.com
Local leaders react strongly to Scott's decision to pull plug on high speed rail

HART, PSTA Plan for the Future
The HART and PSTA Boards of Directors met this week to discuss ways to work together on making transit improvements in the area. One idea that might gain some traction in the future: a light rail line across Tampa Bay.

WMNF Radio
Pinellas & Hillsborough transit agencies consider rail over Tampa Bay

Test Driving Rail?
In addition to discussions with Pinellas County on a future partnership, HART has suggested a possible "demonstration line," a shorter light rail system that would offer Tampa residents a chance to see how such a project could work. The facts and figures are still being evaluated, but if successful, a downtown-to-airport line could carry residents and visitors in a whole new way.

WMNF Radio
HART may build demonstration rail line to airport

TBO.com
HART exploring 'demonstration' light rail line

What do you think of all these developments? Let us know in the comments!